Eurostar announced on Tuesday that it will buy 50 new two-level trains for use across its entire network of trains from major European cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne via the Channel Tunnel to London St Pancras station.
The company said it has signed a €2 billion (about $2.3 billion) deal with French maker Alstom to buy planned all-electric “Celestia” trains starting in 2031.
Eurostar has pitched the purchase as an expansion plan and said 30 or 50 new trains would run alongside its existing fleet of 17 single-decker Siemens-built E320s. The new model will have 20% more seats, a lower floor and a higher roof than the existing model.
Although double-decker trains are not used on the British rail network, except for an experimental two-level model in service nearly half a century ago, the busy rail lines in the south-east of England are among the few that can in theory cater to larger, longer trains.
A common sight on European railways, double-decker trains are not suitable for the UK network, as the low bridges and rail lines are too close to each other. The high-speed line from the tunnel entrance in Folkestone to St Pancras in London was built to match European standards and was inaugurated in 2003.
Eurostar seeks expansion and new lines as rivals eye use of Channel Tunnel
The operator that long held a monopoly on the famous rail line down the English Channel, linking London to the continent without boats or planes, Eurostar is looking to expand its services to include cities such as Geneva and Frankfurt in the coming years.
Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency that the company awarded the contract to Alstom because it wanted to get the special trains “as quickly as possible”, ensuring it is “leading the race” to meet the growing demand for international train travel.
The “milestone order” was part of Eurostar’s “ambitious growth strategy” to reach 30 million passengers a year, up from 19.5 million in 2024, he said. Cazenaway also said that larger trains would provide additional space for bicycle and wheelchair users, as well as more leg room for passengers. The company says passengers will be able to choose which level to sit, with no difference in price.
Alstom Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the announcement demonstrated Eurostar’s desire to “combine technical performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort”.
Eurostar plans to refurbish and expand its depot at Temple Mills in east London, so that the new fleet can be maintained and operated from there.
But the company may also be set to face competition for the first time on the world’s longest underwater railway section.
The UK rail and road regulator is expected to announce a decision in the coming weeks on whether other operators should be granted access to Temple Mills.
Several operators have expressed interest, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, state-owned railway company FS Italiano Group and Gemini Trains.
Eurostar is majority owned by the French state railway company SNCF. The British government sold its stake in the operator to private companies in 2015.
Edited by: Elisabeth Schumacher